Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Jefferson Smith is an idealistic, small-town young man who suddenly finds himself a United States senator. Placed in his position by a rich, power-hungry man, Mr. James A. Taylor, Smith is not supposed to do anything but vote on a bill, allegedly constructed as a relief bill, but actually concocted to fill the pockets of Taylor. When Smith uncovers the plan and tries to tell the senate the truth, he finds himself engaged in an overpowering battle against the unbelieveably powerful Taylor. But against overwhelming odds, Smith keeps fighting, and the quote below is from the climax of this fight, and actually the whole movie. Ahem I quote from memory, so it's not quite word for word.

I guess this is just another lost cause Mr. Payne. All you people don’t know about lost causes, Mr. Payne does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for, and he fought for them once, for the only reason that any man does. Because of just one simple rule; Love thy Neighbor. And in this world today full of hate a man who knows that rule has a great trust, you know that rule Mr. Payne, and I loved you for it just like my father did. And you know that you fought for the lost causes harder then any others, you even died for them, like a man we both knew.
You think I’m licked, you all think I’m licked. Well I’m not licked. I’m gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause, even if this room gets filled with lies like these. And all the Taylors and Paynes come marching in. Somebody will listen to me.

Starring James Stewart (in what I personally think is his finest performance) this is an incredible movie, and I VERY highly reccomend it.

JBY 07

I attended John Bosco Youth Day for the third time this year, and I have to say, it keeps getting better. Archbishop Dolan, Steve Angriasino, Martin Doman, Andy Meier... and so much more, it was incredible. The Archbishop began the day with an opening prayer and short address, and led a decade of the rosary. One of the coolest things about JBY is the atmosphere (the best word I can think of for it) created by so many people united with one purpose, the atmosphere that can turn such mediocre songs as Open My Eyes Lord, into beautiful hymns. And since the rosary is already such a great prayer well: rosary+ archibishop Dolan + JBY atmosphere + the communion of saints, whose presence it was not difficult to feel= One amazing 15 minutes.

Directly following the archibishop's departure, Steve Angriasino gave his talk. His stories of courage in the Columbine high school shooting in his town, a girl who refused to deny her faith and survived eight bullets and a boy who gave up his life for his friend made for a very moving talk.

After him there was a drama called "ropes" performed by several members of the Holy Hill Youth Group, but I can't tell you much about how it looked from the audience since I was on the stage.

Then came lunch including a very crowded trip up the Holy Hill tower and time to chat with a few of the dozens of friends who were also there. Following that was a brief talk by a few Dominican nuns from Nashville.

Next (as you see to your right) Andy Meier came and played percussion with Martin Doman and his band. I think the song was God of Wonders, but I can't remember for sure. If it was, it certainly would have made sense. For about a week earlier this year, doctors were doubtful that Andy would live, and now he's back playing percussion. It was awesome.

Unfortunately I had to leave after this ): so I can't tell you much more, however I hear that Andy stayed and played percussion for adoration and mass as well. Well I have a number of friends who did stay, perhaps I can get one of them to write about the rest of the day.

Oh, the pictures I have aren't very good, but I'm hoping there will be some published somewhere from a better photographer that I can at least link to in the near (or far) future.

The Wide Horizon

In this second installment of the Texas Panhandle saga, Loula Grace Erdman tells the story of the middle girl, timid, artistic Katie.

Melinda is recently married and living in Amarillo 30 miles away with Dennis Kennedy, a name familiar to those who have read the first in this series, The Wind Blows Free. Before Katie can quite accustom herself to life without Melinda, word comes that grandmother has been seriously injured in a fall, and mama must go back to East Texas to care for her. This leaves Katie in charge, Katie, who had always relied on these two for initiative and now must take the lead. Keeping house for papa, her two older brothers and her younger sister, is not an easy task. And besides this arrangment has delayed Katie's entrance into the highschool back in East Texas, the school that will perfectly fit her interests. But despite these difficulties, the year progresses, and so does Katie's ability. Overcoming her baking troubles with the help of her younger sister, taking care of two small children in addition to her own family and fighting her way through a fierce blizzard are but a few of the difficulties Katie must try her hand at. But, like her older sister Melinda, Katie doesn't give up and finally conquers her fears and inablilities in this story of pioneer life in the Texas Panhandle.

Frank's recorder

Thanks to the tenor recorder I'm borrowing, and the recorder lessons that Terri and Bernie have started recently, the dulcet (and sometimes very squeaky) tones of recorders have been echoing through the house. Just now upstairs, I was playing Danny Boy with music spread around me, and Frank, who had just got out of the bath, plopped down beside me and began to "play" on a water recorder, with his eyes firmly fixed on his "music", a.k.a. a Cherokee clothes tag.

Fabre's Book of Insects

After an approximately year long endeavor, I finally finished reading Fabre's Book of Insects. Jean Henri Fabre chronicles the lives and adventures of a number of different types of insects. His reader will become acquainted with the scarab beetle who rolls his one and only kind of fare in a perfectly shaped ball before him as he traverses difficult terrain then stores it in his lair. The reader will follow out most learned and interesting guide into the nests of bees of numerous descriptions and into the wonderfully crafted, and actually used home of the locust. He will explorethe secrets of the lives of murderous parasites and the mysterious burrowings of Capricorn grub. These and many more adventures await he who reads Fabre's Book of Insects.
Written by a French Catholic Naturalist, I found this book rather slow, but still very interesting.

Sunset Light

Frank

A Simplified Timeline

Of my summer, and also my excuse for exactly twelve posts over the course of three months.

JUNE:
Finishing up school
ChesterCon
Love2Learn reunion is SD

JULY:
Short notice trip to Springfield IL
A retreat at Schoenstatt
Left for Oklahoma

AUGUST:
Spent a few days with 19 cousins, 3 aunts, 3 uncles, grandparents and hundreds of animals on hundreds of acres in Oklahoma
A very brief visit with a friend from SD
Saying farewell to a very dear friend who is now at WCC
Had a whole family of South Dakotians visit for a week, which included a visit to Six Flags Great America

SEPTEMBER:
A Labor Day party yesterday
Back to School tomorrow

And this doesn't even include all of the parties, discussions etc. with people who, luckily, don't live so far away.
Perhaps I'll have a few (or maybe a lot) of pics to share later, we shall see... What an incredible summer!!!!!

One more...

... then I really, really, really want to go read this so no elaborate, or even relatively lengthy descriptions of this one, I will only say that I did this at the same time and from the same book, listening to the same CD as the other one.

Abraham Lincoln

From "Draw Real People", the office floor, The Shadow of the Bear audiobook and some spare time comes... Abraham Lincoln! (and another face to follow very shortly).

BTW I haven't stopped doing artwork, I just joined this blog, and have had a ridiculously full, yet incredibly fun summer. And maybe, if my schoolyear doesn't turn out to be as crazy as my summer was, I will have a chance to post on some of the goings-on which have so sadly deprived this blog of posts.